Evaluating Physiological Markers of Emotional Trauma: A Randomized Controlled Comparison of Mind-Body Therapies

The effect of emotional trauma on physiological functioning has been documented in a number
of studies. The largest of these is the ACE study, (ACE=Adverse Childhood Experiences), which
examined the health outcomes of over 17,000 patients at Kaiser Permanente Hospitals. It was
performed by Kaiser in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, on a population
with a median age of 56. The ACE study found that those patients with a high incidence of
Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs had higher rates of bone fractures, cancer, heart
disease, hypertension, depression, smoking, suicide, diabetes, and other physical and
psychological ailments. The authors of the study compared the health care system's focus on
treating disease in adults to a fire brigade directing their water at the smoke, rather than
at the originating fire. They recommended that health care providers focus on the emotional
trauma which they believe contributes to many illnesses.

The current study seeks to determine if the treatment of emotional trauma has an effect on
physiological function. As a marker of physiological function, the authors of this study have
chosen the range of motion of the joints of the upper body. Shoulder joint stiffness and
syndromes such as frozen shoulder typically take months or even years to heal, and rapid
resolution is unusual, though most such injuries do indeed heal over time. Range of motion is
a convenient marker of physiological change because it can be measured accurately in degrees
using a goniometer, a protractor-like device routinely used in occupational therapy and
physical therapy. Changes after treatment can be immediately noted.

The emotional trauma treatment modalities being investigated are Emotional Freedom Techniques
or EFT, and Diaphragmatic Breathing or DB, with the DB group receiving an identical protocol
but with DB substituted for the acupressure component of EFT. They are being compared with a
no treatment control group. Studies of EFT have shown this therapy to be effective in
removing or reducing emotional traumas, such as phobias, in a single brief treatment session,
as well as in reducing anxiety. The effects hold over time. Most prior studies using EFT as a
treatment modality study the effects of only one session, and have found that EFT can be
effective even with a very brief course of treatment. For the current study, one 30 minute
EFT treatment is undertaken. The range of motion of the shoulder joint is recorded before and
after treatment by a licensed occupational therapist using a goniometer. The Diaphragmatic
Breathing protocol used by the second group has a verbal content identical to the EFT group,
but substitutes DB for acupressure. A follow up assessment of subjects is done after 30 days.
Range of motion usually does not relapse, but instead becomes greater, following conventional
treatments, and this measure has the advantage of requiring a relatively short follow up
period, rather than the longer period required for other physiological markers.

The purpose of the study is to discover if a significant change in the range of motion occurs
after treatment, and to dismantle the acupressure from the verbal component of EFT by
substituting DB for this portion of the protocol.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Limited Range of Motion (ROM) of a joint in the upper body

Exclusion Criteria:

- Post-operative recovery

- Receiving rehabilitation treatment

- Under psychiatric care

- Currently using prescription psychotropic medication